Special bonus game in Pai Gow Poker variant

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a Pai Gow Poker wagering card game is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: a) a player placing a wager on a Pai Gow Poker game, b) players placing an optional wager against a pay table on a separate poker-type game that uses only residual cards from the Pai Gow Poker game, c) dealing seven-card hands from a set of cards to six player positions and to one dealer position, leaving at least three residual cards that have not been dealt to the players or to the dealer. The method also includes the steps of: d) resolving the game of Pai Gow Poker, e) comparing a poker hand made from the residual cards to predetermine hand ranks, and f) paying the players who have placed the optional wager when the poker hand from the residual cards is a predetermined rank. In a preferred form of the game, a 52-card deck plus one joker is used and there are four residual cards of which three are used to make a Three Card Poker® hand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to games of chance, particularly card games of chance, and more particularly to bonus games in casino table card games. The invention has a highly desirable embodiment for use with the game of Pai Gow Poker. The present invention is directed toward the game of Pai Gow Poker and more particularly toward a method of playing an improved version of the game of Pai Gow Poker that is intended to make the game more interesting and to increase revenues for casinos. The game also includes a bonus event with a side wager.

2. Background of the Art

Although the game of Pai Gow Poker, frequently referred to as Asian Poker, has been around for many years, it has not received wide spread play in gambling casinos throughout the United States. As is well known in the art, the game is played with either tiles or with a standard deck of 52 playing cards with one Joker added. In some versions of the game, a joker is utilized to represent only a limited number of cards such as an Ace or as part of a Straight or Flush. Rankings in Pai Gow Poker are substantially the same as rankings in other types of poker games.

Pai Gow Poker is typically played in a casino at a table much like that used for Blackjack, casino table poker variants, Baccarat or the like, except that there is typically one less player position. That is, there is a dealer position and six player positions equally spaced around the perimeter of the table. The game is limited to six player hands and a dealer hand, using 49 cards, and leaving four remaining cards. At each player position, there are normally markings or indicia for setting the dealer's and players' high and low hands (explained hereinafter) and a spot for each player to place his or her Ante or Bet.

The game is typically started by each player placing a bet. The dealer then deals seven cards to himself and seven cards to each of the six player positions, using 49 of the 53 cards in the playing card deck. Each player, including the dealer, then forms two hands from the holdings of seven cards. One hand, referred to as the low hand, consists of two of the dealt cards. The other hand, referred to as the high hand, consists of the remaining five cards that were dealt to that player. The high hand must be higher in poker rank than the low hand. If the hand is a Pai Gow (no ranked hands possible higher then an Ace high), then the highest ranked card must be present in the high hand.

The only requirement in forming or setting the high and low hands is that the low hand must be of a lower rank than the high hand. The ranking of the hands is similar to traditional poker with the exception as pointed out above that the joker can be used to represent an ace or to represent any one card of either a straight or a flush. Thus, the highest possible hand is five aces.

If the player's low hand and high hand are both higher in rank than the low and high hand of the dealer or banker, the player is a winner and the banker loses. However, if both of the dealer's or banker's hands are higher than the player's, the player is a loser and the banker wins. If only one of either of the player's hands tie or lose to the comparable dealer's hand, the round is considered a push. Under some house rules, the banker's hand is normally considered to be the winner in the event of a tie in both hands or even one hand, although this latter rule is rarely in play.

If the player's low hand is of a higher rank than the banker's low hand but the player's high hand is of a lower rank than the banker's high hand, neither wins and there is considered to be a push. Similarly, a push exists when a player's low hand is of a lower rank than the banker's low hand and the player's high hand is of a higher rank of the banker's high hand. There is, therefore, no winner when a push exists.

In some casinos, the banker and the dealer are one and the same and is employed by the casino. The dealer is employed by the casino and deals the cards but is also a player. More frequently, however, the players are given an option, in turn, to be the banker and each of the other players would then play against the banker/player. (The banker is the dealer or player who is responsible for paying or collecting from each of the players.) When this is done, the house, that is, the establishment operating the game, takes a commission by way of a percentage on all winning wagers or is paid a flat commission per round or per hour.

The house also takes a commission or ante from each player when they win. The commission may be about 1% of the wager, such as taking $0.25 from a $25 wager, $0.50 from a $25-50 wager, and $0.75 for a wager between $51-75. There are numerous ways in which the house can collect on a player-banked game.

There are a few special bonuses that can be won at Pai Gow poker. In some locations, there may be bonuses for specially ranked hands, such as a Pair of Aces and four of a kind or higher, and a special bonus or jackpot for a pair of Aces as the low hand and a straight flush or royal flush for the high hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,491,302 describes a method of playing a Pai Gow poker game in which, in addition to the usual seven cards dealt to each player and the dealer, a single player tiebreaker card is dealt for all players and a single dealer tiebreaker card is dealt to the dealer. The ante bet of each player is then paid off for winning and losing hands in the usual manner of a Pai Gow game. However, with push hands (where only one of the two-card hand and five-card hand of the player has a higher poker rank than the respective two-card hand and five-card hand of the dealer), the winner is determined by the higher value of the player and dealer tiebreaker cards so that no push bets occur.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,472 describes an improved game of Pai Gow is set forth which includes offering the player an optional bonus wager. Should the tiles of the Player's hand match any predetermined bonus outcome tile combination, the Player receives a reward for their bonus wager regardless of whether or not the Player has won their hand according to the rules of Pai Gow.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,424 describes a method, device and system for playing a new game of Pai Gow Poker. The method includes dealing seven cards to the dealer and to each player, the players and dealer each from those seven cards assembling a five card high hand and a two card low hand. For the player to win their wager, both the player's high and low hands must outrank the dealer's hands according to the ranking of hands of Poker. For a push the player's high hand must have a higher ranking the dealer's and be Jacks or better. All other hands are losses. The method provides for greater payoffs if the player has one of a plurality of payoff qualifying holdings. The device includes a processor programmed to play the game according to the method. The system provides for linking devices to amass a progressive jackpot payout should the player obtain a qualifying holding.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,876 describes an improved game of Pai Gow that includes offering the player an optional bonus wager. Should the tiles of the Player's hand match any predetermined bonus outcome tile combination, the Player receives a reward for their bonus wager regardless of whether or not the Player has won their hand according to the rules of Pai Gow. The game also provides the option to make a tie wager.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,113,103 teaches a variation of Pai Gow Poker known as Dragon Poker. A player posts a wager and is dealt a first four of seven cards face down. A bank is dealt a first a first four of seven cards, three of which are dealt face up. The player is then given an option of surrendering and receiving a return of a portion of the wager. With the surrender, the player's participation in the game is at an end. The player who does not surrender is a surviving player who may be given an option of increasing the wager. The surviving player and the bank are each dealt three additional cards to enable formation of a player back hand and a player front hand and formation of a bank back hand and a bank front hand. After the hands are formed, the wager is resolved.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,041 (Boylan) describes a method of playing a Pai Gow poker wagering game in which an Ante bet is initially wagered and a Bonus bet is also wagered by at least one player. Seven cards are then dealt to each player and the dealer, and arranged into a two-card hand and a five-card hand. The ante bet of each player is then paid off to in the usual manner for Pai Gow poker. Thereafter, a best five card poker hand is arranged by the dealer for each player from the seven cards initially dealt to the player, and the bonus bet is paid off if the best poker hand has a poker rank equal to or better than a first predetermined rank (straight) but less than a second predetermined rank (royal flush). Next, the dealer determines whether the best poker hand of each player has a poker rank better than or equal to the second predetermined rank so that an auxiliary game of chance, such as rolling three dice, is then played to determine whether the bonus bet is paid off at a first payoff where the player is a loser or at a second payoff higher than the first payoff. In addition, the dealer then determines whether each player has made a bonus bet of a predetermined minimum, which is then paid off if any other player has a best poker hand equal to or better than a third predetermined rank (four of a kind).

U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,078 (Leone et al.) describes version of the game Pai Gow Poker that allows a player to bet against the house and/or to bet against the other players. In addition to the conventional betting spot for placing an optional bet against the banker, an additional betting spot is located in front of each of the players that allows the player to optionally bet against the house. This can be done whether or not the house is the banker. Thus, even if a fellow player has been designated as the banker, each other player can still choose to play against only the house. Each player can, of course, play against his or her fellow player/banker but is not required to do so. Each player can play against the house, against his or her fellow player/banker, against neither or against both. This game does not use the residual cards to resolve a side bet game.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,486 describes a method of playing a game of Pai Gow poker comprising: a player placing a first wager; a player placing ajackpot bet; and a dealer dealing seven cards to himself and said player. Each player arranges his/her cards into a low hand including two of said seven cards and a high hand including five of said seven cards Each player evaluates the cards and determining whether the cards comprise a predetermined jackpot card holding of a low hand pair and a high hand of one of (i) four aces and the joker, (ii) a royal flush, (iii) a straight flush, (iv) four of a kind, (v) full house, (vi) flush or (vii) straight. Players are paid ajackpot amount if the player has a jackpot holding. The winner of the first wager is determined by comparing a low hand of said dealer to said low hand of said player and a high hand of said dealer to said high hand of said player. This reference does not describe the use of residual cards to resolve a side bet in a game of Pai Gow poker.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,081 describes a method of eliminating a push in a game of Pai Gow Poker where a player and a banker are each dealt seven cards from a standard deck of 52 playing cards plus a Joker, the player and the banker each forming a High Hand and a Low hand from the dealt cards. The method describes the steps of: assigning a numerical value to each card; comparing a card in a player's hand to a corresponding card in a banker's hand; and designating a winner based upon whether or not the corresponding cards have total numerical values that are either both odd or both even.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,422,564 describes a poker game in which a hand used in play is created from discarded cards from player hands. The game is played with a lower numerical ranking portion of a deck comprising the card ranks of Two through Eight of a typical fifty-two card Poker deck. The game method includes the steps of each player placing an initial wager to participate in the game. Five cards are dealt to each player position by the dealer. Players inspect their cards and must discard the highest numerical ranking card in their hand and place that card into a designated high card area in front of that player position. If player positions are not occupied, the dealer retrieves the highest numerical ranking card from hands dealt to unoccupied positions and places those cards into the designated high card area in front of that unoccupied player position. Next, players decide which two cards of their remaining four cards they wish to hold and use to build their mandatory two card hand. Players must place the two cards into an appropriate depicted hold card area in front of that player position. Players must then discard the remaining two cards into an appropriate depicted discard area in front of that player position. Each player then has the benefit of a two card hand. The dealer chooses the house's two card hand from the pool of high cards discarded by the players and placed in the designated area. The dealer indicates the choices by placing an indicator apparatus onto each of the two cards chosen. The dealer informs the players of the houses two card hand. Finally all cards in each occupied player positions are shown, and the payouts to the winning hands and the collections of the losing hands wagers are resolved. The players are playing against the dealer and not against each other.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,481,719 and 6,012,719 describe a card game that combines the play of Blackjack (“21”) with a 3-card Poker wager or side bet (“21+3”). Each player places a basic Blackjack wager and an optional 3-card Poker wager before the cards are dealt. Each player is then dealt a card with the dealer receiving a face-up card. Each player is then dealt a second card. At this point, the outcome of each 3-card Poker hand is determined, where a 3-card Poker hand consists of the 2-card hand dealt to that player and the dealer's face-up card. After settling the Poker wagers, the game of Blackjack continues in a typical fashion. The invention advantageously retains all the features and advantages of Blackjack as well as provides an additional opportunity to wager on a hand of 3-card Poker, without interfering with the card dealing sequence, for enhanced player anticipation and enjoyment.

Although Pai Gow poker has achieved a level of success where it is present in most card rooms, it is desirable to provide additional features to the game that can make it even more attractive and successful.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A bonus event with a side bet is combined with the traditional game of Pai Gow poker. The bonus event does not in any way alter the strategy of play of the game. The Bonus event requires no additional cards, and adds interest to the game. Each player may make a side bet wager to enter the bonus game. The game may be played and resolved before play of the Pai Gow game or after play of the Pai Gow game. The wager is made against a pay table, rather then against other players and/or the house. The wager is made on whether the three discards or residual cards (with a 52 card deck without joker) or the four discards or residual cards will provide a three card poker hand of at least a predetermined minimum rank. The players place the bonus bet or side bet in a designated area. Prior to display, the dealer discards the last card dealt in a preferred form of the game, leaving three residual cards. In another form of the game, the dealer views his cards and selects a card to discard. In yet another form of the game, the cards are discarded. The residual cards are displayed, the best three card poker hand made from the residual cards, and bonuses are paid when at least a predetermined minimum rank is provided by the hand. The predetermined minimum rank is usually a pair (paying for example 1:1 on the side bet), and higher hands pay higher odds against the side bet wager.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a playing surface of an example of game play of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Among some of the features that can contribute to the unique play of the game of the present invention include one or more of at least the following elements:

1) The underlying game is a table version of PAI GOW poker game.

2) A mandatory wager is placed to play in an underlying PAI GOW poker game against the dealer's hands.

3) A side bet is optionally placed at any time prior to the players viewing one or more cards to engage in a separately paying, side-bet wagering game using the three (52-card standard deck without any jokers) or four (53-card standard playing card deck with a single joker) “residual” or left-over cards from the conventional PAI GOW game. Winnings are determined in the separate game by the three card poker ranking of hands.

4) The separately paying game does not interfere with any underlying strategy in the play of the underlying PAI GOW game.

5) In one mode of play, after placement of the ordinary poker ante and the optional side bet wager, the PAI GOW game is played and the residual cards are separately preserved, rather then being placed into the discard rack, as is typically done in PAI GOW poker.

6) The separate side bet game may be played out before or after resolution of the PAI GOW poker game.

7) The PAI GOW game is played to its normal conclusion, the separate game having no possible influence on the PAI GOW game, unless the separate game is played first, and the Joker is in the residual (4 discarded cards) cards (indicating that it cannot be present in a Dragon hand).

8) The residual hand is examined, and it becomes a common hand for all players who have placed the optional bet on the separate side bet wagering game.

9) When there is a joker in the deck, one of the four residual cards may be discarded (typically the last card dealt) before viewing the residual cards, or optionally, may be discarded as a least preferred card after viewing the four residual cards. In yet another example, all four cards are retained and the arrangement of cards is compared to predetermined winning four-card poker rankings.

10) A three-card poker hand is made from the three residual cards.

11) Players who have made the optional and separate side-bet wager are paid odds according to a posted pay table (or progressive jackpot) on whether the residual cards (either 3/3 residual cards or 3/4 residual cards) form a three-card (or possibly four-card) poker hand rank of various predetermined levels (e.g., at least one pair, up to straight flushes, three-of-a-kinds, etc.) or whether a four card set of residual cards forms at least a pair up to four-of-a-kind and straight flushes on four-card poker hands.

Typical Bonus Winning 3-Card Hands

-   -   Straight Flush—Three cards of one suit in sequence (e.g., A K Q         all spades; 10 9 8 all clubs; 3 2 A all hearts)     -   Three of a Kind—Three cards of the same rank, whether suited or         not (e.g., QQQ; 6, 6, 6; or 2, 2, 2 (all diamonds) with a         multiple deck game source.     -   Flush—Three cards of the same suit (including pairs or not, but         not including three of a kind) (e.g., 9 8 6 clubs; A Q 2 spades;         or 3 3 j of clubs with multiple deck embodiments)     -   Straight—Three cards in sequence (e.g., A K Q; 6 5 4; 3 2 A)     -   Pair—Two cards of the same rank (but not when all three are         suited with multiple deck embodiments) (e.g., 2 2 5; 8 8 10; 3 3         7)         Typical Losing 3-Card Hands

High card only, no pairs and no straights of lushes as described above (e.g., A Q J; J 9 2). Typical Pay Table When The Joker Is Semi-Wild (Used To Complete A Straight, Flush Or As An Ace) 3 Aces 40:1 Three of a Kind 20:1 Straight Flush  9:1 Straight  5:1 Flush  3:1 Pair  1:1

Typical Pay Table When the Joker is Completely Wild 3 Aces 50:1 Three of a Kind 10:1 Straight Flush  8:1 Straight  4:1 Flush  3:1 Pair  1:1

EXAMPLES Example 1

An example of a round of play of the Pai Gow poker game with side bet according to the invention is as follows. To simplify the description, only four players are at the table, Players 1, 2, 3 and 4. The table surface 10 is shown in FIG. 1. Players are located at player positions 12, 14, 16 and 18.

Players 1, 2, 3 and 4 place $5 wagers on betting circle 24 a-d, in the underlying Pai Gow game. Players 1 and 2 place wagers of $5 and $10, respectively, on areas 26 a and 26 b, the side bet game. Player positions 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22, and the dealer's position 28 are dealt seven cards each from a starting deck of 53 cards, the standard 52-card playing deck and ajoker. Player hand position 20 is designated as a Dragon hand, which each player declines to buy. Each player and the dealer set their high and low hands and place them in the appropriate hand areas 34 a-f and 36. There are four residual cards or discards that are placed in a designated spot 30 for use in the side bet bonus game. The cards from player positions 20 and 22 are swept from the table and placed into a discard rack 32, separate from the four residual cards.

The normal play of Pai Gow poker is undertaken, and the events of that play are immaterial to the play of the side bet wager. The hands are swept from the table or not, at the choice of the house rules. At the conclusion of the Pai Gow game, the top card is burned in one embodiment of the invention, and the four residual cards are displayed by the dealer at a central position 36 (e.g., where the dealer's hand had been previously located). The revealed cards are: Q spades, 10 Spades and 2 Spades, thereby providing a flush. Player 1 is then paid 3× his initial side bet wager ($15 and he retains the $5 side bet wager). Player 2 is paid 3× his initial side bet wager ($30 and he retains the initial side bet wager).

Players 3 and 4 do not receive a payout because they did not participate in the side bet game.

Example 2

An example of a round of play of the Pai Gow poker game with side bet according to the invention is as follows. To simplify the description, again only four players are at the table, Players 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Players 1, 2, 3 and 4 place $5 wagers on the underlying Pai Gow game. Players 1, 2 and 3 place wagers of $5, $5 and $10, respectively, on the side bet game. Player positions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and the dealer's position are dealt seven cards each from a starting deck of 53 cards, the standard 52-card playing deck and ajoker. Player hand position 5 is designated as a Dragon hand, which each player declines to buy. There are four residual cards or discards that are placed in a designated spot 30 for use in the side bet bonus game. The cards from player positions 5 and 6 are swept from the table and placed into a discard rack 32, separate from the four residual cards.

The normal play of Pai Gow poker is undertaken, and the events of that play are immaterial to the play of the side bet wager. The hands are swept from the table or not, at the choice of the house rules. At the conclusion of the Pai Gow game, the four residual cards are displayed by the dealer at a central position and the dealer selects the best three cards and discards the fourth card, (e.g., where the dealer's hand had been previously located). The revealed cards are: Joker, 3 Hearts and 2 of Spades. The Joker is capable of forming either a pair (either a pair of 3's or pair of 2's) or a straight. In this example of the invention; Jokers are completely wild in the bonus game. As the straight is the higher ranking hand, in a preferred form of this invention, the rules should require that the hand be read as a straight. For each player having made a side bet wager, the payout would be 4× the amount of the side bet wager.

The invention has been described in terms of specific examples to assist in understanding the practice of the invention, but alternative rules and materials can be used in the play of the game. For example, a smart automatic card shuffling system such as the MD-2 Card Shuffler with card reading capability from Shuffle Master Gaming could be used to provide batches of shuffled cards to the game. This device is disclosed in co-pending application Ser. No. ______ filed Jul. 17, 2003, entitled “Card Shuffler With Card Rank and Value Reading Capability” assigned to Shuffle Master, Inc. The disclosure of this patent application is incorporated herein by reference. This shuffler can be programmed to provide batches of cards as required for the play of Pai Gow poker. The shuffler is capable of reading the cards internally before they are removed from the shuffler. A special display could be provided that would show the four cards in the residual hand. The cards could be displayed using the card revelation system of U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,973, or a traditional display panel showing the deal position of each hand as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,411 could be expanded to show the hand read from the residual cards and announce the amount of the bonus in alphanumerics.

All of the apparatus, devices and methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the apparatus, devices and methods of this invention have been described in terms of both generic descriptions and preferred embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variations may be applied to the apparatus, devices and methods described herein without departing from the concept and scope of the invention. More specifically, it will be apparent that certain elements, components, steps, and sequences that are functionally related to the preferred embodiments may be substituted for the elements, components, steps, and sequences described and/or claimed herein while the same of similar results would be achieved. All such similar substitutions and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. A method of playing a Pai Gow poker wagering card game comprising: a) Players wagering on a Pai Gow game; b) Players placing an optional wager against a pay table on a separate poker-type game that uses only residual cards from the Pai Gow poker game; c) dealing seven-card hands from a set of cards to six player positions and one dealer position, leaving at least three residual cards that have not been dealt to players or the dealer; d) resolving the game of Pai Gow poker; e) comparing a poker hand made from the residual cards to predetermined hand ranks; f) paying players who have placed the optional wager when the poker hand from the residual cards is a predetermined rank.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of cards comprises a standard fifty-two card deck with a joker.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of cards consists of fifty-three cards, a fifty-two card playing card deck and one joker.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the residual cards are used to form a three-card poker hand and the three-card poker hand is compared to a pay table to determine player winnings or losses.
 5. The method of claim 2 wherein the residual cards are used to form a three-card poker hand and the three-card poker hand is compared to a pay table to determine player winnings or losses.
 6. The method of claim 3 wherein the residual cards are used to form a three-card poker hand and the three-card poker hand is compared to a pay table to determine player winnings or losses.
 7. The method of claim 3 wherein the residual cards are used to form a four-card poker hand and the four-card poker hand is compared to a pay table to determine player winnings or losses.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first set of cards comprises a standard fifty-two card deck.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein a pay table for the poker hand made from residual cards ranks a pair or better.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the side bet wager on the poker hand made from residual cards is resolved before revealing the dealer's pai gow poker hand.
 11. A method of playing a Pai Gow poker wagering card game comprising: a) Players wagering on a Pai Gow game; b) Players placing an optional wager a separate poker-type game that uses only residual cards; c) dealing seven-card hands to six player positions and one dealer position, leaving at least four residual cards that have not been dealt to players or the dealer; d) resolving the game of Pai Gow poker; e) comparing a poker hand made from the residual cards to predetermined hand ranks; and f) paying players according to the rules of the separate poker-type game played with residual cards.
 12. A method of playing a Pai Gow poker wagering card game comprising: a) Players wagering on a Pai Gow game; b) Players placing an optional wager a separate poker-type game that uses only residual cards; c) dealing seven-card hands to six player positions and one dealer position, leaving at least four residual cards that have not been dealt to players or the dealer; d) resolving the game of Pai Gow poker; e) comparing a poker hand made from fewer than all the residual cards to predetermined hand ranks; and f) paying players according to the rules of the separate poker-type game played with residual cards.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the dealer selects one or more cards to discard after viewing the identity of the residual cards.
 14. The method of claim 12 wherein the dealer burns one or more of the residual cards prior to viewing the identity of the residual cards.
 15. The method of claim 14 wherein the dealer burns one card.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the dealer burns one card according to pre-established rules.
 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the one card is a top card on a stack of residual cards. 